Establishes the sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program to assist in the identification of target industry clusters and employers for creation of new local sector partnerships and to provide grants to emerging and existing local sector partnerships and to community colleges seeking to establish local sector partnerships for recruitment activities; makes an appropriation therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6496
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 12, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAHER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish-
ing the sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program; and
making an appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new
2 article 27 to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 27
4 SECTOR PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT AND REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM
5 Section 490. Short title.
6 491. Definitions.
7 492. Sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program.
8 493. Local sector partnership duties and responsibilities.
9 494. Local sector partnership formation grant.
10 495. Local sector partnership enhancement grant.
11 496. Community college sector partnership exploration grant.
12 § 490. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as
13 the "sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program act".
14 § 491. Definitions. For the purposes of this article:
15 1. "Community college" means a college established and operated pursu-
16 ant to the provisions of article one hundred twenty-six of the education
17 law which provides two-year postsecondary programs in general and
18 receives financial assistance from the state.
19 2. "Local sector partnership" means a workforce collaborative, within
20 an economic development region as established by the department pursuant
21 to article eleven of this chapter, focused on achieving the goal of
22 meeting shared human resources needs and consisting of multiple employ-
23 ers within an industry sector, in combination with representatives of
24 one or more of the following:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10488-01-3
A. 6496 2
1 (a) a labor organization, where appropriate;
2 (b) a local workforce development board;
3 (c) a postsecondary education institution;
4 (d) a community college;
5 (e) an adult basic education provider;
6 (f) a school district;
7 (g) the state or a local government;
8 (h) a chamber of commerce or other economic development organization;
9 (i) a community based organization or other not-for-profit organiza-
10 tion; or
11 (j) any other entity as determined eligible by the department.
12 § 492. Sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program. The
13 department, in consultation with the department of labor, the state
14 education department, the New York state higher education services
15 corporation, the New York state workforce investment board, and repre-
16 sentatives of local workforce development boards, shall establish a
17 sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program, the purpose of
18 which shall be to:
19 1. upon request, assist in the identification of target industry clus-
20 ters and employers for creation of new local sector partnerships
21 throughout the state;
22 2. support and encourage contact and cooperation between local sector
23 partnerships already in existence and those looking to create a new
24 local sector partnership;
25 3. serve as a coordinator or convener pursuant to subdivision one of
26 section four hundred ninety-three of this article on behalf of employers
27 within an industry sector and the appropriate state and local agencies
28 or not-for-profit organizations to facilitate the creation and support
29 of local sector partnerships;
30 4. provide technical assistance, including counseling and direction
31 from department staff in forming and sustaining a local sector partner-
32 ship, professional development opportunities for members of a local
33 sector partnership, customized labor market and economic data upon
34 request, and similar assistance as to be determined by the department to
35 local sector partnerships; and
36 5. provide and administer grants pursuant to sections four hundred
37 ninety-four, four hundred ninety-five and four hundred ninety-six of
38 this article to new and existing local sector partnerships.
39 § 493. Local sector partnership duties and responsibilities. A local
40 sector partnership shall:
41 1. designate one of the member entities or a representative from the
42 department as the convener of the local partnership. The convener shall
43 assume responsibility for recruiting membership to a local sector part-
44 nership, organizing meetings, fulfilling required reporting requirements
45 pursuant to subdivision two of this section, and for designating a
46 fiscal agent to oversee grant funds received pursuant to sections four
47 hundred ninety-four, four hundred ninety-five and four hundred ninety-
48 six of this article. The convener may perform additional duties as
49 determined by the local sector partnership;
50 2. report performance information as determined by the department,
51 including an annual financial statement prepared according to generally
52 accepted accounting principles, to the department by December first of
53 each year;
54 3. develop a comprehensive plan for addressing any identified skills
55 gap in the sector in order to be eligible for a grant pursuant to
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1 section four hundred ninety-four, section four hundred ninety-five, or
2 section four hundred ninety-six of this article; and
3 4. perform additional duties and responsibilities as determined by the
4 department.
5 § 494. Local sector partnership formation grant. 1. The department
6 shall award grants to emerging local sector partnerships, or local
7 sector partnerships created within the last five years of the effective
8 date of this article, to fund planning activities including, but not
9 limited to, building and promoting membership in a local sector partner-
10 ship, initial costs related to research identifying sector skill gaps
11 and factors contributing to such gaps, and developing a plan to close
12 any existing skills gap as identified by the local sector partnership.
13 2. Local sector partnership formation grants shall not be less than
14 fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed one hundred thousand
15 dollars.
16 3. The first fifty percent of the total grant amount shall be made
17 available immediately upon notification of such grant award. The remain-
18 ing fifty percent of the grant shall be available to a local sector
19 partnership as a two-to-one match for funds raised.
20 4. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds include, but are not
21 limited to: cash funds raised; equipment costs, including computers,
22 training equipment, software, subscriptions, and other items directly
23 related to partnership operations; and facility costs, including acqui-
24 sition, rent, utilities, and other costs incurred directly related to
25 partnership operations.
26 5. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds shall not include:
27 salaries and fringe benefits provided in-kind by the lead applicant,
28 fiscal agent, or partnership member organizations; salaries and fringe
29 benefits paid by the lead applicant, fiscal agent, or partnership member
30 organizations to training or educational program participants; and fund-
31 ing granted through other programs administered by the department.
32 § 495. Local sector partnership enhancement grant. 1. The department
33 shall award grants to local sector partnerships which have already
34 completed planning activities as identified by the department for imple-
35 mentation activities including, but not limited to: skills training;
36 establishing a secondary to postsecondary education workforce pipeline;
37 establishing career pathways for adults; creating industry-based certif-
38 ication programs; developing curriculum; promoting participation in any
39 workforce training or education program; and other activities that
40 prepare or assist in providing workers for the industry sector.
41 2. Local sector partnership enhancement grants shall not be less than
42 fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand
43 dollars.
44 3. Grants pursuant to this section shall be available to a local
45 sector partnership as a two-to-one match for funds raised by the local
46 sector partnership.
47 4. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds include, but are not
48 limited to: cash funds raised; equipment costs, including computers,
49 training equipment, software, subscriptions, and other items directly
50 related to partnership operations; and facility costs, including acqui-
51 sition, rent, utilities, and other costs incurred directly related to
52 partnership operations.
53 5. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds shall not include:
54 salaries and fringe benefits provided in-kind by the lead applicant,
55 fiscal agent, or partnership member organizations; salaries and fringe
56 benefits paid by the lead applicant, fiscal agent, or partnership member
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1 organizations to training or educational program participants; and fund-
2 ing granted through other programs administered by the department.
3 § 496. Community college sector partnership exploration grant. 1. The
4 department shall award grants to community colleges seeking to establish
5 local sector partnerships for recruitment activities including, but not
6 limited to: developing a plan for creating and convening a local sector
7 partnership with employers in targeted industry clusters; related
8 marketing costs for advertising the potential creation of sector part-
9 nerships; financial incentives for recruiting employers in targeted
10 industry clusters to join a new local sector partnership; and other
11 activities that assist in the creation of a new local sector partner-
12 ship.
13 2. Community college sector partnership exploration grants shall not
14 be less than fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed five hundred
15 thousand dollars.
16 3. Grants pursuant to this section shall be made available immediately
17 upon notification of such grant award.
18 § 2. The sum of up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), is hereby
19 appropriated to the department of economic development for the purpose
20 of carrying out the provisions of this act to be funded by grants under
21 the workforce investment act, federal Public Law 105-220, and the work-
22 force innovation and opportunity act, federal Public Law 113-128. Such
23 moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on
24 vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of the department of
25 economic development in the manner prescribed by law.
26 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.